Vice Admiral Joel Roberts Poinsett Pringle (February 4, 1873 – September 25, 1932) was a senior officer of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, serving from 1894 to 1932.

Career

Pringle, born in Georgetown, South Carolina, was appointed to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1888, and commissioned

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in 1894. For his service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility as commanding officer, ''Melville'' and Chief of Staff, Destroyer Flotillas, European Waters. Pringle graduated from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

in 1920 and served as a staff member from 1923–1925. Subsequently, he served as the college's president from 1927–1930. Attaining the rank of Vice Admiral in 1932, his commands included the destroyer ; ; Flotilla 2, Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet; ; the battleship ;

President of the Naval War College The president of the Naval War College is a flag officer in the United States Navy. The President's House in Newport, Rhode Island is their official residence. The office of the president was created along with the Naval War College as a whol ...

; Battleship Division 3, Battle Force; and Battleships, Battle Force.

Personal life

On January 25, 1899 he married Cordelia Phythian, daughter of Commodore Robert L. Phythian, USN. He died at

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, California, 25 September 1932.

Awards

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish C ...

* Victory Medal *Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (United Kingdom) *Officer of the Legion of Honor (France)

Legacy

* The was named for him. The ship was launched by his widow on May 2, 1942 and commissioned on September 15, 1942. * Pringle Hall at the

is named in his honor.

References

Joel R.P. Pringle bio
Naval War College.

External links